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ADHD in the News - December 20, 2012

A weekly news digest** from the National Resource Center on ADHD: A Program of CHADD

Conflict with an ADHD Child from a Father's Perspective (GoodTherapy.org, December 15, 2012)

"Parent-child conflict is common, especially when children reach adolescence. For families with ADHD children, that level of conflict may be even higher when the child reaches the teen years...Few studies have considered the father's perspective, particularly with respect to attribution and responsibility. To address this void in literature, Clarisa Markel of the Human Development and Applied Psychology Department at the University of Toronto recently led a study that looked at how mothers and fathers rated the levels of conflict with their ADHD children..." Full Story

"On the surface, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appear very similar, with impaired attention, memory, or behavioral control. But Prof. Reuven Dar of Tel Aviv University's School of Psychological Sciences argues that these two neuropsychological disorders have very different roots - and there are enormous consequences if they are mistaken for each other..." Full Story

"Misdiagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) could jeopardise patient care. This is the warning of new research published in the Journal of Neuropsychology, which pointed to significant consequences when these two are confused with one another..." Full Story

Hearing disorder could be misdiagnosed as ADHD in kids (The Canadian Press, December 14, 2012)

"A little-known hearing disorder affecting two to three per cent of Canadian children is being misdiagnosed as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, health advocates say. The symptoms of auditory processing disorder (APD), which affects the way brain processes sound, are similar to ADHD - short attention spans, anxiety and difficulty reading..." Full Story

MDs warned against giving ADD drugs to healthy people (Globe and Mail, December 18, 2012)

"Doctors should think twice about prescribing drugs like Ritalin and Adderall used to treat attention deficit disorder to healthy individuals seeking to boost their brain power, says an article in this weeks edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal..." Full Story

Shire's Vyvanse wins British OK (MedCity News, December 18, 2012)

"Shire's hyperactivity treatment Vyvanse will be available in Europe within months after Britain's drugs regulator backed the amphetamine-based stimulant used to treat millions of U.S. students. The drug, lisdexamfetamine dimesylate, has a slow-release action that activates the amphetamine ingredient over the course of a day, helping levels of alertness and concentration in children with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)..." Full Story